Eternity Again
by Desis
Summary: Drabbles on multiple pairings. Feel free to request any.
1. HopeSerah, 'Friends' Implies Closeness

did hope and serah even interact in xiii because i dont remember it if they did

also if i were hope and watched some stranger and a girl i barely knew go off to save someone i really loved, i would hate the stranger so much. I'm shallow like that.

* * *

"It's lonely without her, isn't it?" Serah was jerked back from her daydream as Hope spoke. After jumping through numerous time gates, they had finally landed in Acadamia, and met up with Hope. She sent Noel to go off and get supplies, and Hope had invited her to share a cup of tea and catch up.

"With who?"

"Lightning."

"Ah," Serah started, but stopped. Yes, it was lonely without Light, but not as much as she had expected. It seemed shameful, but ever since Noel had come, she wasn't lonely anymore. In fact, she was ..._happy._

"Yes, but now I have Noel." Hope didn't respond, and they both drank more tea in silence. It felt odd, being around Hope, as if she expected him to be younger, to be weaker. He always seemed to be slightly lost, as if he was in the wrong time, or as if he was just about to say something.

"Do you regret it?"

"Hmm?" He seemed almost scared. Nervous?

"That you have such a responsibility. That the whole timeline is resting on your shoulders. That you have to bear such a burden."

"I-" Did she? Was she angry that she was dragged into this so many years ago? That it was her branded a l'cie, not some other girl with such an unlucky fate as to meet a Pulse Fal'cie?

Serah was, and she would forever be. As much as she tried to not pity herself, she can't help but wonder what life would be like if this whole adventure had never happened. If she was happily married, with Lightning by her side. It was only her friendship with Noel that made her feel guilty.

"Oh, it's nothing. Besides, you're the one with all the responsibility here, Hope! You're the one that's actually doing all the work!" He smiles, but the lost look doesn't go away. It makes him look older, she decides. Older and more tired. There were black rings under his eyes that Serah had never noticed, and he smiled less than she remembers. Like he's dying slowly, she thinks. Like he's driving himself into the ground.

"Are you working too hard, Hope? You should take a break, don't tire yourself out!" Another smile, though this one was strained, and he doesn't look at her. His eyes wandered out to the sky, and she followed his line of sight. There's nothing there, not a cloud, not the sun, not even Cocoon.

"I'm jealous," he spits out and looks down shamefully. "I'm jealous that whatever I could be wrong, that you and Noel are out there and actually changing things, and that whatever I do could be wiped away in an instant. I know I shouldn't be, but you guys get to go and meet Snow or Lightning or whatever, and I'm stuck here. I'll always be stuck here. I'm sorry, I better get back now, I'm due for a meeting."

"Hope-" She never knew he felt like that...was she so preoccupied with herself that she didn't realize what was happening with her friends?

"Sorry for leaving so suddenly, Serah. I'll see you next time. Tell Noel I said hi."

"Wait!" But he was already gone. He had specified 'next time' instead of soon, Serah noticed. How angry would she be if she was in Hope's place? Forced to watch from the sidelines as a boy she hardly knew and one she didn't ran off to save her sister? As she was left behind, though that was nothing new to her.

"I'll see you soon," Serah said, but Hope was already gone, and Serah wasn't sure if she'd ever see him here again, but she would try her damnedest to.


	2. LightCaius, And I Must Beg

It's humiliating, it's degrading, it's something she thought she would never do- but she still does. He's right where she expected him to be, but they both know what she will do and what she has done. She sinks to her knees and grasps his hand in hers, as if they were friends, as if she didn't realize what he had to go through, as if she was ignorant and he was forgiving, as if they didn't understand each other as well as they do.

"Please," she begs, as if it's the only thing to do. It's the only thing she _can _do.

He doesn't respond, but he doesn't pull away either.

"Please, Caius." It's cowardly, but she shuts her eyes tight. She doesn't want to know what he will say, even though she already does.

"Warrior Goddess." His tone is not unkind, and she hates him all the more for it. But she can't talk either, she pities and hates him as much as he pities and hates her. Lightning Farron might have been a l'cie and a sergeant, but she was not a hypocrite.

"Please!" Maybe, there was an ending where they were all happy. Maybe, somewhere, in an alternate version of an alternate timeline, there was no Fal'cie or Anima, Snow and Serah would have gotten married, Hope's mother would never have to die, and they wouldn't have ever met Vanille or Fang. Maybe, there was one future she missed, there **had **to be.

"Would I ask the same of you?"

No. But she had to try, even if she knew she was going to fail, there might've been the slightest chance.

"Lightning..." He's gone. In what time, with who, where, she doesn't know and she doesn't want to know. All she wants is a future.

"Claire," she doesn't look up and he doesn't respond. Her hands aren't holding onto anything, and they never were.

It's only until the painful chill of crystal climbs up her legs that she realizes that he called her by the wrong (right) name.


	3. NoelCaius, RepeatERRORRepeat

The-Dancing-Fox, sorry this took so long because and that it's so bad because I am bad at this

Also the Caius/Noel relationship is kinda odd since we don't get much info about either of their pasts. And this isn't shippy at all but I SUCK at romance.

* * *

"You make your own myths, Caius. But I'm going to save everyone my way. Yeul, and Serah, and yes, you, too."

So saying Noel's mouth curled into the old, familiar smile.

* * *

"Come on, slowpoke! We're going to be late for the fair!" The pink haired girl pulled the boy clad in blue behind her, straining to drag him towards the crowd.

"It's Acadamia's 23rd Birthday! Can you believe that twenty three years ago, the Director Snow Villiers built the Academy? I wish we had known him..." Noel refrained from saying that yes, he had known him, once as a friend, twice as an enemy, five times as his killer, the rest as an acquaintance, and all times as a cocky showoff. The legendary Snow Villiers, who's only family had died just thirteen days before the fall of Cocoon, who held hope for the future, even as he failed, and who fell in love with a girl who didn't love him back.

"Noel? Are you zoning out again?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, the fair. Serah, I don't think we can go."

"Why? You promised!" Her pout was cute enough, but her question was answered with stunned silence and a burst of light in her eyes. She collapsed, caught in Noel's arms as she fell, body seemingly lifeless. The vision that beheld the two was utterly inane- and stung all the more for it. "Noel, I-" she choked out, before the bile rose in her throat.

She'd reach out, but her hand would never touch him. She'd relax as she died. She'd smile as she died. Noel would know. He's seen it happen thousands of times already.

* * *

Flame Fossil whipped through the air before it was parried with a steel glaive. A boomerang, really, but what boomerangs had sides sharp enough to cut through bone and were charged with Aeroga powerful enough to rip the ruins out of the ground? Noel's second blade sailed towards the defender's ribs, before the target nimbly flipped back, fan of feathers spraying out besides him.

"Not bad." The white-haired stood back to back to Noel before whipping around. Noel might have been stronger, but Hope was smarter- for each hit Noel dealt, Hope would just heal it off and attack back. They might have been evenly matched, had the heart of Chaos not rested in Noel's chest.

"Save it," Hope snarled as he cast a Ruinga towards Noel.

* * *

"Look! Look Noel!" Caius bounded forwards, eagerness written all over his eight-year-old face.

"What is it?" The energetic purple-haired boy was going to be the death of him. Wow, he _did _sounded old. Maybe Serah was right.

"I learned how to cast Firaga!" And so he demonstrated, right onto Noel's pants.

"Whoops," Dumping a pot of water on his pants seemed to fix this problem, but the rooms smelled like, well, burnt pants, and Noel really needed to change.

"Sorry." Noel smiled and ruffled Caius's hair. He could never stay mad at Caius for long.

"What's that smell?" Serah poked her head in the room, wincing as she saw the state of Noel's pants.

"Serah, look! I learned Firaga! Come on, I'll show you!"

"Caius," The purple haired youth looked up as Hope lifted him from the blast. Clasping the younger's hands in his own, Hope spoke.

"It's up to you to save the future. Keep my sister alive for me, will you?"

"But who-" Caius's words were swept away as he entered the time flow. The gate reflected the battle taking place, and he could see Noel raise his sword as Hope turned away.

* * *

Lightning never expected to be taken by surprise. All her years of training, useless to her as the Nekton loomed over her face. Survived becoming a l'cie, only to die to some bug? It was almost shameful.

"You want her? You're going to have to go through me."

Cocky, that was her first thought. Gaudy was her second, and competent was her third.

"Can you fight?"

"Better than you can. Hand me a blade."

* * *

Noel doesn't realize how satisfying it is to see them struggle, to writhe and squirm and attempt over and over to defeat them until it actually happens. To know that they are powerless compared to him, that he could end their lives in a heartbeat makes torturing them all the more pleasing.

"Oh Caius," he says with a smile. "It's almost pitiable to see that you believe you can still win."

Caius turns away. _Oh, how cute. He still thinks he has power here._

"Look at me." No reply. "Stop being childish." Still too stubborn. Still too foolish.

Caius screams as Flame Fossil pins his wrists above his head. The blood drips down on his face, but he still snarls and struggles, even as the blades dig in deeper.

"You need to learn, Caius." Reaching out one hand, Noel gently wipes the blood off of Caius's cheek, but the pinned figure only thrashes harder. Placing one hand over his heart, Noel listens to the irregular beat of chaos.

"Caius, know this-you _will _kill me, whether you want to or not."

* * *

When Ragnarok really does puncture his chest in a bloody splatter, Noel doesn't even feel the pain. It almost puts a smile on his face. Caius's determined yet horrified expression does- how naive of him, to place his hope in a future that never will, never did, and never can happen. Caius's eyes widen with fear as the dying man grasps him by the shoulders and pulls him closer- impaling himself further on the blade. He laughs and laughs and laughs.

"Lightning!"

Ah, yes, Lightning. The seeress, the one blessed (cursed) with the eyes of Etro, the one who will die. He doesn't know yet. None of them knew.

_He sleeps, never to wake. He wakes, never to sleep._

He's succeeded, he's failed. Visions flash before his eyes, visions of alternate timelines, what could've happened, what should have happened.

_He stands over Hope's body, silver dyed red with lies out of his grasp, blade glowing dully in the moonlight._

_"Director. You fought well."_

Serah. Did he save her?

_Subjects ALPHA 13-1 and BETA 13-2 have exceeded maximum recall levels. Termination imminent. _

Did he truly destroy time?

_"What did you do with them?"_

_"Calm yourself, Director. There's no one left. No one in eternity except us."_

Why did this seem so familiar?

_"Well done, Noel." Caius smiles, and Noel glows with praise._

Was it right or was it wrong?

_"I love you!" he says, all naivety and innocence. But Caius presses the blade against his neck, pins him against the wall and hisses._

_"Love is a double-edged blade. And you are not able to wield it safely."  
_

No, he's got it all wrong. He's not the guardian, he never was. Lightning isn't the seeress, Hope wasn't the protector, Snow wasn't the director. Then why?

_"You shall pay for your crimes in blood."_

_"Caius, I won't fight you!"_

No, no, he's failed, he's failed, he's failed.

_Serah!_

* * *

Caius blinks as he floats through Historia Crux, memories and visions flooding his head.

"Noel, I'm sorry."

_Sorry for what? He played right into your hands. _

There's a soft buzzing in his head, and what was he doing? Caius is the guardian, he has to find Yeul, not sit around in eternity and reflecting on past lives.

Yeul, he has to save Yeul, even if it meant destroying the whole world.

"I've failed you."


End file.
